Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Confessions of a tech dweeb

Time to come clean. I'm a total tech dweeb. Generally, I manage to get something the way I want it by sheer persistence, clicking on this or that button or link until something changes to my liking.

One site that baffles me is Goodreads. I admit, I have avoided it for months after setting up an account because I just can't figure it out. It looks simple enough, but to my mind, there aren't enough buttons to click on to move or change things. :) My profile looks very unprofessional because I just can't figure out how to move the boxes. And for some reason, it won't display most of my book covers. There's some arbitrary system there, or else the site's trying to tell me my covers aren't very attractive, lol.

And another confession regards Twitter. My Facebook page is set up to send out tweets, but I am clueless with regard to the in-depth stuff, such as hashtags and actual chatting. I'm terrible at it, so I avoid it. Sorry! If I'm "following" you, it means I would love to but don't know how to, in reality.

After months of frustration, I finally figured out how to get on Networked Blogs. If you are feeling kind, I'd love for you to follow me. :) Just click on Follow this Blog in the box on the top right. Thank you!

But besides not having enough of a left brain to be of practical use, I also have the problem of time. I haven't made much progress writing this year. Life intervened in a big way, as it will. And my stories are calling me. More than calling. They're screaming, all wanting my attention at once. It wouldn't be so bad if only one or two WIPs were in the queue. But there are FOURTEEN. Yes, fourteen stories are all screaming at me at once. It's sheer pandemonium and cacophony and madness. I have to pick one and block out the others, and just sit down and write.

This week's a big week, writing-wise. Tomorrow, Amazon will announce the titles that made the first cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. I'll let you know on Saturday how I made out, and what the backup plan is (if need be!). If you get curious before then, you can check the site for Dead to Rights, my urban fantasy.

Meanwhile, if you have any tips on navigating Goodreads, I'd love to hear them! Alms, alms for the tech dweeb...